AREA Programs

AREA Programs

AREA provides its members with exposure and access to real estate through several educational, experiential, and networking programs.

The Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate
Continuing a long tradition of real estate research and educational programs, UCLA Anderson founded the Ziman Center in 2002 with a mandate to create and manage the school’s activities surrounding the topic of real estate. The Ziman Center for Real Estate undertakes aggressive research, education and professional development programs. These combined with practical industry applications, allow for the creation of innovative solutions to the challenges faced by the real estate industry. Please select the following link for more information:

Ziman Center Real Estate Mentor Program
The Ziman Center sponsors a real estate mentor program designed to meet the needs of students and busy real estate professionals. The program allows real estate professionals to share their work experience, offer career advice, interface with students, and participate in the Ziman Center ‘s activities.

Alumni Relations
AREA hosts alumni events that offer students opportunities to network with UCLA Anderson alumni who are presently working in the real estate field. The club also has a close relationship with the UCLA Real Estate Alumni Group (REAG), an association of real estate professionals with undergraduate UCLA ties. REAG also hosts quarterly meetings, usually with a notable speaker.

Real Estate Lunches
Real estate lunches are one of the regular on-campus recruiting programs sponsored by the Career Management Center in coordination with AREA. Lunch presentations consist of a noontime presentation made by the host company, followed by a question and answer session. Lunch presentations offer students a good opportunity to learn first hand about different careers in the industry.

Real Estate 101′s
Real Estate 101 sessions are designed to be educational opportunities for current students and are often conducted by second year students and/or recent alumni working in the real estate industry. Educational presentation topics in the past have included real estate financial modeling and ARGUS training, urban in-fill development, land acquisition, the role of private equity financing, and purchasing a home.

Days on the Job
Days on the Job (DOJ) events bring students to the offices of a local real estate company to visit with employees and learn more about the employer and the industry in general. These student-organized events offer a more intimate opportunity to meet real estate executives and demonstrate an interest in a particular employer.

Field Trips / Site Visits
Given the tangible nature of real estate, AREA often organizes site visits during the year to expose students to the construction process. In past years, AREA has toured commercial developments such as the Staples Center and residential developments such as the Hollywood & Vine project with the companies responsible for developing or financing the site.

AREA Speakers Program
At various times throughout the year, AREA will host speakers from the national and local real estate industry.

NAIOP Challenge
Each year, The National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) organizes a student competition between UCLA’s and USC’s business schools. Each five-person team is asked to determine the best use for an existing real estate project. In 2004, UCLA’s team was awarded the prestigious Silver Shovel for its presentation and recommended strategy for the Grand Avenue site in downtown Los Angeles . Students will be notified once the selection process gets underway, but please visit the NAIOP Challenge website to find out more details.

Selected Case Competitions
Each year, UCLA Anderson is invited to compete in The University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business Real Estate Challenge. This is a case-based competition where teams from top business schools make a 20-minute presentation to a panel of judges from Bear Stearns, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo and Bank of America Securities. The Ziman Center sponsors this annual event by paying for the team’s entry fee and travel expenses.